Koalinth (3.5e Race)

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The koalinth debuted in the 1975 Dungeons and Dragons Supplement 2: Blackmoor. The koalinth subsequently appeared as a monster in the 1e Monster Manual,Dragon Magazine #68 ("What's That in the Water?," Mark S. Harcourt), and in the 2nd Edition Monster Manual; it later appeared in 2E as a player character race in Dragon Magazine #250 ("Heroes of the Sea," James Wyatt).

Koalinth (the name is both singular and plural) are marine goblinoids closely related to surface-dwelling hobgoblins. They stand about 6-1/2 feet tall, with sleek, muscular bodies. Their fingers and toes are webbed, and they have gill slits in their necks. Their skin is light green and covered with patches of dark green, aqua, or blue hair. Their faces have been compared to seals', and large male koalinth have enlarged noses like elephant seals. Male koalinths also share the aggressive behavior and loud bellow of elephant seals (although female koalinths are by no means passive).

Koalinth, like surface-dwelling hobgoblins, live in a rigidly organized, militaristic society. Their tribes are fiercely territorial and war with each other and with other aquatic races when their territory is compromized. They make their homes in caverns in shallow waters, ranging from subarctic to tropical seas.

Even moreso than hobgoblins, koalinth have a strong mercenary streak. Merfolk and locathah have both been known to hire koalinth mercenaries to help them fight against sahuagin and other threats. Koalinth are not as hateful toward aquatic elves as hobgoblins are to high elves; as far as the koalinth are concerned, the elves are just another race to fight for or against. No matter who the koalinth fight, they are markedly cruel, and frequently take prisoners simply to torture them.

Any koalinth, male or female, has been raised in what amounts to a boot camp. The discipline of military life is a part of koalinth upbringing, integral to their identities. Even those who have renounced the evil of their culture still think of life in military terms: conversations are attacks and counter-attacks, journeys are marches (even underwater), and surprises are ambushes.

Koalinth believe that they were created from surface hobgoblins by Maglubiyet, who sought to conquer the ocean depths. (The aquatic goblins, from Unearthed Arcana, are thought to have come into being in much the same way.) However, the newly-created koalinth were approached by the dread god Panzuriel, the Lord of Krakens, who proved himself the true master of the deep. The koalinth rejected the Lord of Depths and Darkness and took up worship of the Down-Dragger, and remain his loyal servants to this day. Koalinth frequently work in tandem with other worshipers of Panzuriel, such as merrows, scrags, kapoacinths (marine gargoyles), and rogue sahuagin, and view the great krakens as sacred avatars of the Many-Tentacled One. However, they are uneasy around fire, the element of Maglubiyet Fire-Eyes.

Koalinth are most commonly fighters, rogues, or rangers (common classes from outside the Player's Handbook include hexblade, marshal, and scout). Koalinth clerics usually worship Panzuriel and have access to the domains of Destruction, Evil, War, and Water. They also remain faithful worshipers of the hobgoblin war-god Nomog-Geaya, who has a few clerics to his name as well. Clerics of Nomog-Geaya have access to the Destruction, Law, Strength, and War domains.

A koalinth's base land speed is 30 feet. He also has a swim speed of 60 feet.

Low-Light Vision: A koalinth can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. He retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.

Aquatic Subtype: A koalinth is amphibious and can breathe both air and water.

A koalinth has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. He can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. He can use the run action while swimming, provided he swims in a straight line.

A koalinth has a +2 racial bonus on Move Silently checks.

A koalinth has a +2 racial bonus on Spot checks and suffers a -2 racial penalty on Listen checks.

Water Dependency: A koalinth must immerse his entire body in water at least once every two days or suffer ill effects. After two days have passed, a koalinth must make a Constitution check every day thereafter (DC 10 + 1 per additional day) or take 1 point of Constitution damage. Once a koalinth immerses his body in water, he immediately regains 1d4 points of Constitution per hour that he remains in water.